12 July, 2017 - 08:34
The live events industry - including music concerts, DJ events, official opening ceremonies at sporting events, conferences and corporate events - is a multibillion-dollar business that continues to grow in size, stature, sophistication and proficiency. Much of this development is being driven by the need for companies to unlock new sources of revenue growth for their brands.
The live events industry has responded by raising the bar and delivering mind-blowingly creative spectaculars that are theatrically innovative and just a few years back would have been improbable; hard to imagine - let alone deliver technologically. Reflecting on the state of the industry, Rob Izzett from lighting distribution company, DWR, says that no one would argue that lighting and sound is at the epicentre of this creative explosion and it is technology thats enabling creativity: When it comes to lighting events today - anything that the mind can imagine - we can create.
Having recently attended Prolight Sound, the international trade fair of technologies and services for entertainment, integrated systems and creation in Frankfurt, Izett says that South Africa is as technologically advanced as the rest of the world. We have the best of the best and incredible skill and local talent.
The difference is in the volumes and budgets being put behind our shows. It's true we are nowhere near the size of the established European market and produce shows on a smaller scale with less kit - but our productions are as ground-breaking. At an international concert there may be 1000 moving lights on a show and in South Africa just 100 - but the tech will be the same.
Looking at the trends evident at the show, Izett says: The one thing that was most apparent at the show was the move to more power saving and sustainable lighting solutions which has prompted a lot of development on the LED side. So there's almost an LED replacement for every type of lighting fixture on the market which indicates dramatic growth over the last five years. More than that, nearly all the manufacturers of moving lights released LED profiles.
Traditionally we haven't achieved the output we need with LED and used conventional bulbs, but this is now all set to change which is a big milestone. Running costs will come down - and these big units could cost a 1/10th of what it would normally to maintain - so there are tremendous benefits associated with this new technology.
The most impressive change that Izett saw at Prolight Sound was in the realm of safety.
5 top tips to get you saving on airfare for film crew
Travel with Stage and Screen
Venice Writing Retreat
Book The Venice Writing Retreat Now
MediaTech Africa 2017
Register for MediaTech Here!
Market your Film Services
Start a Film Marketing Campaign Today
Where our approach to safety five years ago may have been considered a bit iffy - both in South Africa and the world - now there are countless safety precautions in place. With rigging we move tons of equipment above people's heads and today this is accomplished with better safety protocols and much more creativity can go into shows because these safety nets are now in place, says Izett.
Mediatech exhibition director Simon Robinson who also attended the show added that there was a lot more use of moving truss. Trussing has traditionally been static and on a rigid scale. Today there's a lot more movement and a lot of fixtures are clamped onto the trussing; far more can be achieved creatively because of this. All of this progress has only been made possible because the safety boxes have been ticked which provides greater control and safety.
Video mapping is another trend that while not new has definitely grown over the last few years. Izett says the reason for the increase in its popularity is because there are no limitations - except those of the imagination.
The advances in the software that enable us to project images onto the sides of buildings have come a long way. Because the building is not a flat canvas, with windows, doors, and columns, we map every surface of the building using software to create a seamless image, or even manipulate the building to look quite different: columns can fall away or change colour. With the new tech, anything that the mind can imagine we can reproduce in video and then project it onto a building, a set piece in a theatre, in a corporate environment, or for a car launch. We are able to map the angle and shape of that surface so that we can digitally change it two whatever shape or form is needed, he adds.
Addressing change in the theatre environment, Robinson says, An advance we can expect to see soon is the availability of automated follow spots which up until as recently as last year, were manually moved. This year we saw at least six different versions of new software which enables one operator to control 10 automated follow spots by using moving lights on stage. This is a significant change and will avoid some of the human error because control is now more spontaneous. Each new version of the technology we saw was in essence each manufacturer's unique take or interpretation of the changeover to automation.
Lighting is an essential element in creating atmosphere at lives events and has the potential to make or break the show. While technologically challenging, light is a necessary medium requiring the mastery of varied and continuously evolving disciplines. The specialists in live event and entertainment technology bring a varied skillset to the sector incorporating audio engineering, working to stringent safety standards for complex rigging and trussing set-ups; and conceptualising and designing breath-taking sets and staging to make the event successful.
Listen to the eBiz radio podcast here: http://www.ebizradio.co
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
IPC Expands Brazilian Presence with New Channel Partner CCATech
Industry veterans Carlos Abrah o and Bruno Lopes strengthen local support and expand IPCs prese...
20/08/2026
Zixi Enters Mauritius Market Through Strategic Deployment with MTC Jockey Club
Worlds Oldest Horse Racing Club in the Southern Hemisphere Selects Zixis Softwar...
20/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-Scripps Research assistant professor Tiantian Liu has received a five-year NIAID DP2 award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Di...
20/08/2026
Audiences reveal appetite for multicultural Australia on-screen 20 August 2026
Dr Georgie McClean, Dr Rebecca Huntley (L-R)
By Dr Georgie McClean and Dr Rebec...
20/08/2026
How Mavis Studio Is Expanding Live Production Teaching at Sussex
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image displays a student about to mix be...
20/08/2026
Vertical Unscripted Series Legal Queens Captured with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Reality TV veteran Eric Gardner create...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
12 July, 2017 - 08:34 
